Ikebana Workshop at Gethsemane Garden Center with Enmei Sensei

Thank you to everyone who joined our Ikebana workshops at Gethsemane Garden Center earlier this month! It was a joy to share the art of Japanese flower arranging with you all. 

A heartfelt thanks to Enmei from Logan Square Aikido for leading the workshop. Enmei Hunter Sensei has been studying Ikebana under Nakashima Sensei, and we were honored to learn from her.

Special thanks to Cat for inviting us to collaborate with Gethsemane, and to Jessica for her assistance throughout the day.

And a special thank you to Gethsemane Garden Center for their generous collaboration and for welcoming us into their beautiful garden.

We look forward to sharing more soon—keep an eye on our calendar for upcoming workshops!

Welcoming Spring with Ikebana at Daiyuzenji

As we welcome the renewal of spring, we were honored to host a beautiful and inspiring Ikebana workshop at Daiyuzenji. A heartfelt thank you to Sensei Margot Wang for sharing her wisdom and artistry, bringing harmony and beauty to our temple. Through this practice, participants cultivated mindfulness and a deep appreciation for nature’s simple elegance.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in this special experience! May the spirit of Ikebana continue to bloom in our hearts and daily lives.

A Moment of Dedication: Ordination Ceremony Announcement

Chicago has a newly ordained priest in the Rinzai Zen tradition:
Please welcome Reverend Enmei Jizan (Joanna Hunter).
Congratulations, Enmei!

Rev. Enmei has been practicing Rinzai Zen for over 25 years and has led her meditation group at Logan Square Aikido located at 2845 N. Kedzie in Chicago under the guidance of Tesshin Brand Roshi (abbot of Daiyuzenji). Friends, family, and Daiyuzenji community members gathered to witness her ordination ceremony.

Enmei will continue supporting the preservation and practice of Rinzai Zen traditions at Logan Square Aikido by leading weekly practice sessions and special events, teaching introductory classes, and more.

Upcoming Book Study: Red Pine’s Zen Roots

Starting February 23rd, Daiyuzenji will begin discussing Red Pine's Zen Roots in our Sunday book study on Zoom. This anthology features key texts from the first thousand years of the Zen tradition, including the Heart, Diamond, and Platform Sutras, along with writings from early Zen patriarchs. These foundational texts are at the core of Zen Buddhist history, traditions and thought, and we strongly encourage students to join us for these to familiarize themselves with and discuss them.

Click here to request the link.

Welcoming New Members: Jukai Ceremony

Last Saturday, we conducted a jukai ceremony in which participants publicly committed to following the five lay Buddhist precepts and taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. The ceremony represents a formal joining of the Buddhist community by the participants. Congratulations and welcome to Daishi Adrian Cioata and Daiji Laurence Smith!

Welcoming Our New Rinzai Zen Priest: Celebrating William Midgley’s Ordination

Chicago has a newly-ordained priest in the Rinzai Zen tradition: please welcome Reverend Gakudō Daizan (William Midgley). Congratulations, Will!

Rev. Gakudō has been practicing Rinzai Zen for over 13 years and has served in various capacities at Daiyuzenji for 11 of them. This past weekend, after an intensive Hojo seminar led by Tesshin Brand Roshi, friends, family, and Daiyuzenji community members gathered to witness his ordination ceremony.

Will will continue supporting the preservation and practice of Rinzai Zen traditions at Daiyuzenji by co-leading weekly practice sessions and special events, teaching introductory classes, leading book discussions, and more.

Announcing additional transformative practices: Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, Aikido for Beginners, and Rising Moon Warriors program.

We are pleased to announce that starting in September, we will begin offering a number of new programs, including Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, Aikido for Beginners, and Rising Moon Warriors program.

We are always looking for instructors to start other programs at the temple. Any traditional, meditative, or physical art may fit with our mission. If you have experience in a martial, traditional, fine art, or physical practice and would like to work with us, we would love to hear from you! Contact us at daiyuzenji@gmail.com.

Ashtanga Yoga - starting Sunday, September 22
Sundays, 10:45 - 11:45 AM
To sign up, click here

Aikido for Beginners Open House
Sunday, September 22, 12 - 1 PM and Wednesday, September 25, 7 - 9 PM
To RSVP, click here

Rising Moon Warriors
Enrolling Now
Sundays, 1 - 2 PM
For more information, click here, or to sign up, email Kogetsukai at Laurence@Kogetsukai.com.

For details on the class and schedule, click here.
 

Daiyuzenji Study Group Surangama Sutra Course Beginning June 30

Join us as we begin reading and discussing The Surangama (Shurangama) Sutra - A New Translation with Excerpts from the Commentary by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, presented by the Buddhist Text Translation Society. This profound text is a cornerstone of Mahayana Buddhist literature.
It gives instruction in the correct understanding of the Buddha-nature, which is the potential within all beings for becoming a Buddha. The Sūtra explains how and why this true nature is hidden within our ordinary experience of ourselves and of the world, and it shows how we can uncover this nature and recognize that it is our own true mind.

All are welcome to participate.
RSVP here to request the Zoom link. 

The Surangama (Shurangama) Sutra - A New Translation with Excerpts from the Commentary by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua

Presented by the Buddhist Text Translation Society.

Membership update: please read

Dear Friend,

We rely entirely on the generous donations of individuals like you to cover all of our operating costs and keep our temple and programming available for our community and visitors. We have also not raised our suggested donation amounts in many years. To continue providing this vital space for Rinzai Zen training in Chicago, we humbly request that regular participants in our programming become "Supporting Members" with a monthly subscription donation of $60.

Why Become a Supporting Member?

• You may attend any of our events —including sesshin, zazenkai, seminars etc.—without additional donations. We will request a donation from non-Members for each event going forward.
   

• Your support allows us to maintain our community, our activity, and our temple, ensuring we can continue to make our practices available to all. It fosters the preservation of our heritage and traditions within the broader community.

Thank you very much for considering setting up your Supporting Membership. You can easily set up your recurring donation by clicking here. Alternatively, you can make check donations by mail or drop cash or a check in our donation box when you visit. If financial circumstances make this contribution difficult, please consider making a recurring donation of an amount that works for you. Every contribution helps and is greatly appreciated.

Please join us in ensuring the future of our temple and community. Your commitment and generosity truly make all the difference.

Thank you! 

Atlanta, Georgia, now has two newly ordained Priests in the Rinzai Zen tradition.

Please welcome Glenn Murray (Ordained: HŌGEN JŌNIN) and Chris Britton (Ordained: DAISHI HOSEI). Congratulations, Glenn and Chris.

Chris and Glenn have been training tirelessly for 20-plus years, traveling to Chicago for many retreats and developing and maintaining the Zen Center of Georgia, one of the most beautiful spaces for transformative practices in the country.

This past weekend, an intensive meditation retreat included a visit from Tesshin Brand Roshi (Abott of Daiyuzenji Rinzai Zen Temple in Chicago) along with friends, family, and students of the Zen Community, including So’zan Miller Roshi (Former abbot of Daiyuzenji). It ended in the ordination ceremony of Glenn Murray and Chris Britton. Glenn and Chris have made their vow to help continue their efforts in bringing the transformative tradition of Rinzai Zen to their community by offering a regular meditation program, introduction sessions, workshops, and retreats in Atlanta, Georgia.